Connector

Abstract: A connector includes flexible hinge pieces molded of a synthetic resin, wherein each flexible hinge piece is caused to upwardly extend. When each side plate of a retainer is squeezed from above toward the rear end side of a recessed part formed on one side surface of a connector housing, a provisional engagement locking protuberance is fitted into the fore end side of an elongated hole, causing the fore edge of the side plate to be held between the provisional engagement locking protuberance and a normal engagement locking protuberance in the clamped state. The retainer is thus held in the provisionally engaged state. At this time, the hinge piece is folded in the connector housing, and the retainer is located at a position where each terminal piece can be inserted into and drawn from the corresponding terminal insert hole. When the retainer is further squeezed from above after the terminal piece is inserted into the terminal insert hole, a normal engagement locking protuberance is fitted into the fore end side of the elongated hole, causing the provisional engagement locking protuberance and the normal engagement locking protuberance to be engaged with the opposite ends of the elongated hole. The retainer is thus held in the normally engaged state. This structure assures that provisional engagement is established, wherein each flexible hinge piece is folded to the connector housing side while preventing the hinge piece from being broken or cut in pieces.

Description: The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a connector of the type including a retainer which is connectable to a connector housing for holding terminals inserted therein. EP-A-0 477 610 shows a known connector of the type including a connector housing having a plurality of terminal inserting holes so as to enable a plurality of terminal pieces to be inserted into the terminal inserting holes. The terminal pieces are locked inside the connector housing by means of a common shifting piece which in one position allows insertion of the terminal pieces into the respective inserting holes and in an other position locks all terminal pieces in common. An other known connector is of the type including a plurality of retainers so as to exhibit a function of double engagement with a connector housing and is constructed such that also a plurality of terminal inserting holes are formed in the connector housing so as to enable a plurality of terminal pieces to be inserted into the terminal inserting holes. The retainers are elastically connected to the connector housing via a plurality of flexible hinges. Primary engagement is established while the terminal pieces are inserted into the terminal insert holes with the aid of a plurality of elastic engagement pieces, with a possibility that the terminal pieces are disconnected from the connector housing. Secondary engagement is established by bringing a part of each retainer in the corresponding terminal inserting hole while the hinge pieces are folded and the retainers are firmly engaged with the connector housing. The known connector constructed in this manner is called a hinge type. In contrast to other types of conventional connectors including a plurality of retainers independently of a connector housing, the hinge type connector has an advantage that storage of connectors can easily be controlled because each connector only includes one component. However, since each hinge piece is exposed to the outside while extending outside of the connector housing before the retainers are brought in engagement with the connector housing, e.g., in the case that an assembling operation is performed while primary engagement is established by inserting the terminal pieces into the terminal inserting holes formed in the connector housing, each hinge piece may come in contact with other articles during transportation of connectors or during each practical connecting operation. Due to a low strength of each hinge piece itself, there sometimes arises a problem that the hinge piece is broken or cut in pieces. When an operation for inserting a plurality of terminal pieces into the connector housing is automatic, since each hinge piece is kept unstable while extending outside of the connector housing as mentioned above, it is difficult to hold terminal pieces during transportation of the latter conducted with the aid of a part feeder or a similar unit during each inserting operation. Thus, another problem is that it is not easy to cope with the foregoing difficulty. DE-A-3 736 036 shows a connector the present invention starts from. This known connector has a connector housing for accommodating at least two terminal pieces in terminal insert holes. There is provided a kind of retainer which is movable normally to the longitudinal direction of the terminal pieces and upon a movement of said retainer inclined slots of the retainer are in engagement with pins which extend from an inner connector housing member such that the inner connector housing member is moved in the direction of the terminal pieces. The inner connector housing member comprises terminal insert openings having a plurality of cantilevers, the tips of said cantilevers blocking an axial movement of the terminal pieces due to a circumferencial shoulder abutting against said tips. When the retainer is moved in one direction, the inner connector housing is moved so that the tips of the cantilevers abut against the circumferential shoulders and accordingly the terminal pieces are blocked inside said inner connector housing member. Upon movement of the retainer into a locking or a secondary position, the tips of the cantilevers press against the circumferential shoulders and fix the terminal pieces immovably. This known connector suffers from a couple of disadvantages. First of all, the connector according to DE-A-3 736 036 has the drawback that three independent members or pieces are necessary for constituting the hole connector housing, i. e. the outer connector member, the inner connector housing member to be inserted into the outer housing for accommodating the terminal pieces and finally the retainer. Accordingly, three independent pieces must be assembled in a specific way, what is cumbersome and a drawback for economical reasons, necessitates at least three independent moulding machines for fabricating the independent pieces and makes the whole connector liable to malfunctions. Furthermore in case of DE-A-3 736 036 the retainer is not fixed to the outer housing in the provisional engagement position, so that there is the risk that the retainer gets lost upon shipping or the like. Finally, in the connector according to DE-A-3 736 036 the retainer is moved in a direction normal to the insertion direction of the terminals, thus requiring a considerable amount of space in vertical direction. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a connector which has a sturdy and compact construction and is simple and reliable in function. A solution of this object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Accordingly, the present invention provides - starting out from DE-A-3 736 036 - a connector, wherein the retainer is elastically connected to the connector housing via a flexible member and said retainer has side plates gradually increasing in vertical width when seen in moving direction from a primary to a secondary engagement position, said side plates running on inclined guide surfaces of the connector housing, so that upon movement of said retainer from said primary to said secondary engagement position said retainer is slantwise downwardly displaced in the forward direction along the guide surfaces. By means of these features the above drawbacks of the connector according to DE-A-3 736 036 are completely overcome. Compared with the connector according to DE-A-3 736 036, the connector according to the present invention has a sturdy and reliable construction, is capable of accommodating a plurality of terminal pieces despite its compact design and the retainer cannot get loose or lost upon shipping or the like. The movements between the primary engagement position and the secondary normally engagement position are accomplished by a simple push-operation of the moveable retainer making the connector according to the present invention easy to operate and confirming that the retainer has reached the secondary normally engagement position is easy. Also the movement of the retainer requires far less space as in case of DE-A-3 736 036, as it is moved in an acute angle with respect to the insertion direction of the terminals. EP-A-0 596 707 shows a connector being a state of the art according to Art. 54(3) EPC. This known connector has a retainer running on inclined guide surfaces of the connector housing, so that upon movement of the retainer from a primary to a secondary engagement position the retainer is slantwise downwardly displaced in the forward direction. However, this known connector has no flexible member for elastically connecting the retainer to the connector housing. Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a connector constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figs. 2(A), 2(B) and 2(C) are fragmentary enlarged front views of a retainer of the invention; Figs. 3(A) and 3(B) show by way of fragmentary enlarged sectional views the state that a hinge piece is received in a hinge piece receiving slit; and Figs. 4(A) and 4(B) show by way of fragmentary enlarged sectional views how a secondary engaging operation is performed for a terminal piece; The present invention will now be described in detail hereinafter with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 4, which show a connector constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 designates a connector housing on the female side. A plurality of terminal inserting holes 3 each serving to enable a terminal piece 2 to be inserted from the rear surface side are stepwise formed in side-by-side relationship to build two stages, i.e., an upper stage and a lower stage for arranging the terminal inserting holes 3, and an elastic engagement piece 5 is formed on each vertically extending partition wall between adjacent terminal inserting holes 3 at both the upper and lower stages for preventing each terminal piece 2 from being disconnected from the connector housing 1. To assure that secondary engagement is established with the connector housing 1 for preventing each terminal piece 2 from being disconnected from the connector housing 1, retainers 7 are formed integral with the connector housing 1 via two flexible hinge pieces 8 on both the upper and lower sides. When the connector 1 is formed of a synthetic resin, the hinge pieces 8 are caused to extend from the connector housing 1, causing the retainers 7 to be parted away from both the upper and lower surfaces of the connector housing 1. A plurality of engagement pieces 9 each extending toward the front edge of each retainer 7 while gradually increasing a width thereof as measured in the vertical direction are formed on the retainer 7 in an equally spaced relationship as seen in the transverse direction with a predetermined distance between adjacent engagement pieces 9 corresponding to the terminal insert holes 3. A plurality of elongated insert slits 11 each having a rearward extending inclined surface 12 formed on the rear edge side are kept open on both the upper and lower surfaces of the terminal insert holes 3 arranged at both the upper and lower stages. In addition, receiving slits 13 each capable of receiving a hinge piece 8 in the folded state therein are formed on both the upper and lower surfaces of the housing 1 at the positions corresponding to the hinge pieces 8 of the retainer 7. Side plates 15 each extending toward the front edge of the retainer 7 while gradually increasing a width thereof as measured in the vertical direction are formed on the opposite side ends of the retainer 7. To cooperate with the side plates 15, recessed parts 16 each capable of receiving the side plate 15 therein with a width larger than that of the side plate 15 are formed on the opposite side walls of the connector housing 1. The bottom surface of each recessed part 16 is inclined corresponding to the inclination of the side plate 15 to serve as a guide surface 17. As shown in detail on an enlarged scale in Fig. 2, an elongated hole 19 having a predetermined length is formed through each side plate 15 of the retainer 7 while extending in parallel with the bottom surface of the side plate 15. A provisional engagement locking protuberance 21 adapted to be fitted into the elongated hole 19 and having a length shorter than that of the elongated hole 19 is disposed on the side wall of the recessed part 16. In addition, a normal engagement locking protuberance 22 likewise adapted to be fitted into the elongated hole 19 is disposed at a position located ahead of the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21. The elongated hole 19, the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21 and the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 are arranged in parallel with the guide surface 17 of the recessed part 16 with a predetermined distance held therebetween and are linearly aligned. The distance between the foremost end of the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 and the rearmost end of the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21 is substantially equal to the length of the elongated hole 19. An inclined surface 23 is formed on a part of the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 and located opposite to the foremost end of the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21. Next, a mode of operation of the connector constructed in the aforementioned manner will be described below. Since the connector is designed in a symmetrical relationship as seen in the axial direction of cables, i.e., an upper half of the connector is identical with a lower half of the same, only the upper half of the connector 1 will be described below for the purpose of simplification. As shown in Fig. 2(A), the connector housing 1 is molded of a synthetic resin such that the hinge piece 8 is caused to extend in the upward direction allowing the retainer 7 to be upwardly parted away from the connector housing 1 via the hinge piece 8. When the side plate 15 of the retainer 7 is squeezed from above toward the rear end side of the recessed part 16 while the foregoing state is maintained, the lower surface of the side plate 15 collides against the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21, and subsequently, the side plate 15 is expanded-in a sideward direction due to elastic deformation thereof, causing it to climb on the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21. When the elongated hole 19 of the side plate 15 is located in alignment with the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21, the side plate 15 is elastically contracted to assume the original state so that the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21 is fitted into the fore end side of the elongated hole 19 as shown in Fig. 2(B). At this time, since the fore edge of the side plate 15 is held between the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21 and the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 in the clamped state, both the side plates 15 (i.e., the retainer 7) are prevented from being turnably displaced. This represents the operative state of the connector, wherein the retainer 7 is held in the provisionally engaged state. At this time, as shown in Fig. 3(A), the hinge piece 8 is folded and received in the receiving slit 13 formed in the connector housing 1, and as shown in Fig. 4(A), the engagement pieces 9 of the retainer 7 are located in a waiting state at positions where inserting and drawing out of each terminal piece 2 are not obstructed by projected parts 9a of the engagement pieces 9 at their foremost ends. When the terminal piece 2 is inserted into the terminal insert hole 3 of the connector housing 1 while elastically deforming the elastic engagement piece 5, the elastic engagement piece 5 is restored to the original position where it is inserted into the terminal insert hole 3 to reach the deepest position. At this time, the elastic engagement piece 5 is received into a fitting recess 25 formed on the bottom surface of the terminal piece 2, causing the terminal piece 2 to be brought in primary engagement with the connector housing 1, securely preventing disconnection from the connector housing 1. Since the retainer 7 is held in the provisionally engaged state relative to the connector housing 1 while the hinge piece 8 is received in the receiving slot 13 in the folded state both when the connector housing 1 is kept inoperative before each terminal piece 2 is inserted into the corresponding terminal insert hole 3 and when the connector housing 1 is held in the assembled state while the terminal piece 2 is inserted into the terminal insert hole 3, the hinge piece 8 is prevented from being broken or cut in pieces due to collision or contact with other articles during transportation of connectors and the like or during each practical connecting operation. When the retainer 7 is squeezed from above further from the provisionally engaged state, the bottom surfaces of the side plates 15 are slantwise downwardly displaced in the forward direction along the guide surface 17 of the recessed part 16, causing the fore end part of the side plate 15 to climb on the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 via the inclined surface 23. Thereafter, the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 is fitted into the fore end part of the elongated hole 19 as shown in Fig. 2(C). Consequently, the opposite ends of the elongated hole 19 are engaged with the rear ends of the normal engagement locking protuberance 22 and the provisional engagement locking protuberance 21, respectively, resulting in the connector housing 1 being held in the normally engaged state. As shown in Fig. 3(B), the hinge piece 8 is additionally folded as it is received in the receiving slot 13, and moreover, as shown in Fig. 4(B), the engagement piece 9 of the retainer 7 is slantwise downwardly displaced in the forward direction along the guide surface 12 of the retainer receiving slit 11 until the projected portion 9a of the engagement piece 9 at the foremost end of the engagement piece 9 is brought in the terminal insert hole 3 in engagement with the front edge of a box-like portion 26 formed on the upper surface of the terminal piece 2. Thus, secondary engagement is established with the connector. Since each retainer can be held on the connector housing in the provisionally engaged state while the hinge piece is folded, the hinge piece can be prevented from being broken or cut in pieces due to collision or contact with other articles during transportation or during each connecting operation both when the connector housing is kept inoperative and when the connector housing is held in the assembled state while the terminal pieces are inserted into the terminal insert holes. In addition, when the terminal pieces are automatically inserted into the connector housing, the connector housing can stably be held by holding the retainer in the provisionally engaged state. Thus, automatic transportation of connector housings to an inserting operation location as well as automatic holding of the connector housings at the inserting operation location can accurately and easily be conducted. , While the embodiment disclosed herein is preferred, it will be appreciated from this teaching that various alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be made by those skilled in the art that are within the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims. For example, while the present invention has been described above with respect to a connector on the female side, it should of course be understood that the present invention is not limited only to this but it may equally be applied to a connector on the male side while exhibiting the same advantageous effects as mentioned above.

Claims: A connector including: a connector housing (1) having a plurality of terminal insert holes (3) formed therein for receiving a plurality of terminal pieces (2); and a retainer (7) which is connectable to said connector housing (1), wherein a primary engagement position between said terminal insert holes (3) and said terminal pieces (2) is established after said terminal pieces (2) are inserted into said terminal insert holes (3) with the aid of a plurality of elastic engagement pieces (5) being associated to said connector housing (1) and being engageable with said terminal pieces (2), said terminal pieces (2) thus being disconnectable from said connector housing (1) in said primary engagement position, and wherein a secondary, normally engagement position between said terminal insert holes (3) and said terminal pieces (2) is established when a part of said retainer (7) is inserted in a corresponding one of said terminal insert holes (3) while said retainer (7) is firmly engaged with said connector housing (1), said connector further comprising holding means for holding said retainer (7) in engagement with said connector housing (1) in said primary and secondary engagement positions, respectively, said holding means are furthermore for holding said retainer (7) in a provisional engagement position, said provisional engagement position permitting said terminal pieces (2) to be inserted into said terminal insert holes (3) before establishing said normally engagement position, characterized in that said retainer (7) is elastically connected to said connector housing (1) via a flexible member (8); and said retainer having side plates (15) gradually increasing in vertical width when seen in moving direction from said primary to said secondary engagement position, said side plates (15) running on inclined guide surfaces (17) of said connector housing (1), so that upon movement of said retainer (7) from said primary to said secondary engagement position said retainer is slantwise downwardly displaced in the forward direction along the guide surfaces (17). The connector according to claim 1, wherein said retainer (7) has a first portion fixed to said connector housing (1) via said flexible member (8) and said side plates (15) engageable with said connector housing (1); and said connector housing (1) has a recessed portion (16) for receiving said side plates (15) of said retainer (7), said recessed portion comprising an attachment mechanism for attaching said retainer (7) to said connector housing in said provisionally engaged position such that said plurality of terminal pieces (2) is insertable into said plurality of terminal insert holes (3) in said provisionally engagement position. The connector according to claim 2, wherein said attachment mechanism comprises: a provisional engagement locking protuberance (21) disposed in said recessed portion (16); and a normal engagement locking protuberance (22) disposed in said recessed portion (16) and aligned with said provisional engagement locking protuberance (21), wherein said side plates (15) of said retainer (7) each comprising an elongated slot (19) shaped to receive said provisional engagement locking protuberance (21) in said provisionally engaged position and to receive said normal engagement locking protuberance (22) and said provisional engagement locking protuberance (21) in said normally engaged position. The connector according to claim 3, wherein said normal engagement locking protuberance (22) comprises an inclined surface (23) on a side facing said provisional engagement locking protuberance (21), said inclined surface (23) facilitating a shift between said provisionally engaged position and said normally engaged position. The connector according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said normal engagement locking protuberance (22) and said provisional engagement locking protuberance (21) are spaced a distance corresponding to a width of said elongated slot (19). The connector according to anyone of claims 1 to 5, further comprising at least one receiving slot (13) shaped to receive said flexible member (8) in a folded state in said provisionally engaged position and said normally engaged position.

Inventors: SAKATANI ATSUSHI, SASAI OSAMU, SUZUKI MASAJI, SAKATANI, ATSUSHI, SASAI, OSAMU, SUZUKI, MASAJI, SAKATANI, ATSUSHI, C/O SUMITOMO WIRING SYS., LTD., SASAI, OSAMU, C/O SUMITOMO WIRING SYS., LTD., SUZUKI, MASAJI, C/O SUMITOMO WIRING SYS., LTD.
Applicants: SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, SUMITOMO WIRING SYSTEMS, LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: H01R13
IPC codes: H01R13